Bills' RB Dixon not just here for special teams

You might wonder why Anthony Dixon opted to sign with the Buffalo Bills last March in free agency. After all, he left a San Francisco 49ers team that had been to a Super Bowl and 2 other NFC Championship games over the last three seasons.

The running back also saw a crowded depth chart in the Niners backfield and figured it was time to go. But he was coming to a Bills team that had Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Both were going into the final year of their contract but Jackson recently signed a one year extension and extension talks might begin with Spiller once he hires a new agent.

Just the same, Dixon said he got a good feeling about the Bills from the moment his free agent visit began.

"When I came in the building and met with them, it was all love" Dixon said during an interview on the WGR morning show. "It was like they already knew me. It was like I was already part of the team. I wasn’t happy with my play over there in San Francisco. I felt like I deserved more opportunity and I wanted more opportunity. That’s the main thing Coach Marrone and (Doug) Whaley preached to me on my visit. I know they weren’t winning but I was down for the challenge."

The all time leading rusher at Mississippi State spent four seasons in San Francisco but had only 148 carries in 64 games. After a career high 70 rushes during his rookie year, Dixon averaged only 26 over the last three seasons. He was known more for his special teams role and is expected to be one of the "core" players on the Bills special teams.

At 6-1, 233 pounds you might think Dixon would be more of a specialist when it comes to the running game and be used only in short yardage and goal line situations but the Jackson, Mississippi native says there's more to his game than just that.

"I feel like I’m an all around guy. I’m way more capable of doing more than that" Dixon said. "People kind of tagged me that over my career and I think it’s a little unfair. I can also play fullback. I haven’t been doing a lot of that but if coach called upon me to do that then I can fill in. To stay in the league, you’ve got to be versatile. You’ve got to be able to do more than one thing. I pride myself on being able to do many jobs on the field."